British Open 2015: Welcome to St. Andrews

The 2015 British Open begins on Thursday in the wee hours of the morning, with Jordan Spieth looking for his third consecutive major title after winning the Masters and U.S. Open earlier in the season. Spieth will have plenty of competition, perhaps chief among it the golf course itself.

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The men will be playing at the Old Course at St. Andrews, one of the toughest courses in the world. The venerable course is known for the mammoth sand traps with walls in excess of six feet, sometimes forcing the golfer to hit a shot off the wall on purpose to get out of trouble.

The history is even-present, with the course having been played on since the 15th century. St. Andrew’s almost has the feel of a cathedral made of fairways and greens, with the weather always finding a way to play a role with either rain, wind or both. This will be the 29th Open Championship played on the course, with the first one coming in 1873. The last time it hosted the Open Championship was in 2010, when Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa won with a 71 on Sunday, coasting to a title by seven strokes.

In the major tournaments before that at the Old Course, Tiger Woods was victorious (2000,2005). Woods will be trying to rediscover his game after playing brutally at the U.S. Open in Washington, failing to make the cut. The 2005 victory was memorable because it was Woods’ 10th major title and the last time Jack Nicklaus played in an Open Championship.

There are plenty of cool quirks at St. Andrews, including the iconic 17th hole and the Swilcan Bridge, which has become one of the touchstones of golf. The bridge has been around for centuries, being a constant throughout the sport’s history.